Automatic draft-regulator.



R. P. MERGER.

AUTOMATIC DRAFT REGULATOR.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 14, 1914.

1,1 14,788. I Patented Oct. 27, 1914 0.4mm. T ,1

j .panying drawings, wherein- 40 Figure 1 is a diagrammatic viewillustrat- UNITED STATES. PATENT OFFICE.

RALPH P. MERCER, OF BURLINGTON, IOWA.

AUTOMATIC DRAFT-REGULATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Oct, 27 1914 Application filedMarch 14, 1914. Serial No. 824,698.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, RALPH PAUL Mnnonn, acitizen of the United States, residing at Burlington, in the county ofDes Momes and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Automatic Draft-Regulators, of which the following is aspecification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to certainimprovements in automatic draftregulators and has relation more particularly to a device of thisgeneral character especially designed and adapted for use in connectionwith furnaces; and an object of the invention is to rovide a device ofthis general character ving novel and improved means whereby the draftis under control of a mechanism driven by an electric motor.

provide a devicerof this general character having novel and improvedmeans whereby the operating circuit for the motor is under control of athermostatic switch.

The invention consists in the details of construction and in thecombination and I arrangement of the several parts of my improvedautomatic draft regulator whereby certain important advantages areattained go and the device is rendered simpler, less ex-' ing a. draftregulator constructed in accordance with an embodiment of my invention;Fig. 2'is a view in side elevation of the operating mechanism as hereindisclosed; Fig. I 3 is a view in top plan of the device as illus-vtrated in Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a fragmentary View in top plan, on anenlarged scale, illustratin one of the circuit closers herein em- 7bodie such closer being shown in open relation; Fig. 5 is a viewsimilarto Fi .4 but illustrating .the closer in closed re ation; Fig. .6 is afra entarv view in elevation of the brake mec anism herein included; and

Fig. 7 is a, view, detached, of the pin in- 56 cluded in the brakemechanism:-

As disclosed in, the accompanying draw- The invention also has for itsobject to ings, 1 denotes a furnace ofany ordinary or preferredconstruction provided with the dampers 2 of conventional form havingoperatively connected thereto the flexible memhers 3 disposed aroundsuitable guide pulleys or rollers 4 and branching from a main flexiblemember 5 operatively connected with a crank 6 produced on a shaft 7, tobe hereinafter more particularly referred to. The relation of the parts,hereinbefore referred to, is such that when the crank 6 is in.

the base plate 9 and has aflixed thereto a toothed wheel 10 ofpredetermined dimensions, which wheel is in mesh with a toothed pinion11 aflixed to the driven shaft 12 mounted in suitable bearings 14supported upon the base 9. The shaft. 12 has also suitably afiixedthereto the grtooved pulley 15 around which is disposed; the drivingbelt 16 also directed around the grooved pulley 17 afiixed to a drivingshaft 18 of the motor 19, such motor being herein disclosed as of anelectrical type.

Positioned at any predetermined locality is the thermostatic switch 20including the thermostatic bar 21 which plays between the contacts 22 soas to close a circuit, as will hereinafter be more fully'set forth,according as the temperature rises or lowers in the locality in whichsuch switch 20 is arranged. 23 indicates a source of electrical energyconnected with the motor-1.9 by the wire a and in connection with thethermostatic switch 20 by the wire. b,.wh1le the contacts 22 are inconnection with the circuit closers '24, which will hereinafter bedescribed, by

wheel 10 the upstanding bar or support 25,

herein disclosed as of conductive material and maintained in operativeposition by the upstanding bracket 26 sultably connected .port 25 andare of a length in excess of the length of the contacts 29 which arealso operatively supported by the bar or member 25 but properlyinsulated, as is indicated at 30, from the contact 28, as is clearlyshown in the drawings, and it is to the outer contacts 29 that the wires0 and (Z are operatively connected.

As disclosed-in Fig. 1,,the circuit to the motor 19, with the uppercloser 24 in closed adjustment, would be through the wires a,

b and d, the supporting member or bar 25 and wire e, but, as shown inFig. 2, it will be observed that the wheel 10 has been sufiicientlyrotated by the motor 19 as to brin the crank 6 into a desired positionand in w ich' instance, the lower or inner spring contact28 of the uppercloser 24 has been freed from the flange or shoulder 27 and thus brokenthe circuit. It will also be observed from the diagrammatic disclosurein Fig. 1 that with the upper circuit closer 24 in open-position, theshoulder or flange 27 is of such an extent as to have adjusted thespring con tacts of the lower closer 24 into operative engagement sothat immediately upon the thermostatic bar 21 engaging the oppositecontact 22, the motor 19 will immediately respond, in which instance thecircuit will be through the wires 0:, b and 0, the supporting member orbar 25 and the wire 6.

With the stopping of the motor 19, the heavier damper 2 would have atendency to impart a retrograde movement to the wheel 10, as is believedto be self-evident, but, in order to avoid this disadvantage, I providethe brake pin 31 slidably engaged within the vertically disposedelongated slot 32 produced in the upper extremity of a bracket 33,herein disclosed as operatively connected with a bearing 14 and which isadapted toengage bygravity the teeth of the wheel 10 and thuseffectively maintain such wheel against rotation in a directionoppositeto the rotation thereof under the influence of the motor 19, it beingreadily perceived that the elongated slot 32 permits the pin 31 to bedisengaged from such wheel-10 upon its proper rotation. While I do notwish to be From the foregoing description, it is -thought to be obviousthat an automatic draft regulator constructed in accordance with myinvention is of an extremely simple and comparatively inexpensive natureand is particularly well adapted for use by reason 'of the convenienceand facility with which it may be assembled and by reason of theeffectiveness with which it performs its several functions, and it willalso be obvious that my invention issusceptible of some change andmodification without material departure from the principles and spiritthereof and for this reason I do not wish to be understood as limitingmyself to the recise arrangement and formation of t s several partsherein shown in carrying out my invention in practice. A

I claim:

- In combination with a movable member a device comprising a motor, asource '0 electrical energy, connections'b'etween such source and themotor, a thermostatic closer interposed in the connections, a mechanicalcloser interposed therein including a shaft.

a flexible connection between the shaft and movable element whereby thesame maybe automatically adjusted, a gear wheel mounted on the shaft, asecond shaft provided with a gear in mesh with the first mentioned gear,an operative connection between the second named shaft and the motor, 'aslotted bracket positioned adjacent thepoint of engagement between thefirst named gears, a pin having one extremity slidably engaged withinthe slot of the bracket and adapted to engage the teeth of the firstnamed gear for holding said wheel against rotation in one direction, anarcuate flange carried by a side of the-first named gear in excess of asemicircle, a supporting bar positioned adjacent one side of the wheeland in spaced relation thereto, circuit closers carried by the bar anddiametrically opposed relative to the wheel, each of said closerscomprising a pair'of nor- Inally spaced spring contacts, one of saidcontacts being of a length in excess of the second contact and adaptedto be engaged by the flange of the gear.

In testimony whereof I hereunto afix my 1

